Delivering an opportunity footprint – how universities are key to social and economic change
Universities are powerhouses of opportunity, extending their impact far beyond their core mission as educators. That’s the clear message from a report launched today by the Purpose Coalition in collaboration with its university partners.
The report examines the final stage of the higher education pipeline when education, knowledge transfer and research all crystalise into stronger opportunities, creating an ‘opportunity footprint.’
How Universities are Breaking Down Barriers to Opportunity, is the second report in the Purpose Coalition’s Raising Standards, Creating Opportunities advocacy and policy campaign which considers the role of universities as anchor institutions.
Universities help to raise standards in schools, drive current and future economies and foster individual growth. As major employers themselves, they also add value more broadly to local communities and economies through job creation and spending power. The opportunity footprint they generate can be transformational, not only for individuals but for the entire regions they serve.
Illustrated with a host of inspiring case studies, the report demonstrates how widely the ‘opportunity footprints’ of universities reach and calls for a recognition by policymakers of their broader economic and social contribution.
The ‘Opportunity Footprint’ consists of five elements:
Producing skilled graduates to step into employer careers;
Developing students to be the next generation of entrepreneurs and supporting local/regional SMEs growth;
Driving local, regional and national economic growth providing skilled talent for both private and public sectors;
Providing research and innovation that creates new growth sectors of the future; and
Universities as major employers in their own right, supporting lives and livelihoods in local communities and local economies.
How Universities are Breaking Down Barriers to Opportunity builds on the first report of the campaign, published last year, which focused on the part universities play in raising standards in schools, either directly through tutoring pupils or upskilling teachers or indirectly through being large providers of teacher training, as well as in driving local economies. It also included examples from universities across the country, showcasing a range of innovative approaches which were often tailored to the needs of their communities.
Highlighting the report’s findings, Chair of the Purpose Coalition and former Education Secretary, Rt Hon Justine Greening, said:
“Our work, set out in this report, shows a far broader university ‘opportunity footprint’ than policymakers have previously recognised. We all benefit from the opportunities our higher education sector generates, irrespective of whether we’re a graduate ourselves.
“Universities are engines of entrepreneurship as well as social mobility. Without the skilled talent that universities produce our private and public sectors would simply be unable to drive the growth Britain needs. Similarly, only our world class higher education sector can drive the research and innovation sector that powers the future economic growth sectors and opportunities that underwrites Britain’s economic success in the decades to come. Plus, our universities are major employers providing livelihoods for local communities.
“We must shift away from the current simplistic and badly measured focus on graduate outcomes. Universities are delivering far, far more than that and it’s the full university opportunity footprint that should drive future higher education policy not just a partial element. Let’s have a far broader assessment of that contribution from higher education. It’s time for a longer-term shared plan between higher education, policymakers and business to ensure we ‘max’ out the university opportunity footprint for the benefit or our whole country.
“I hope the report’s wide-ranging recommendations for future action – particularly on measurement and sharing best practice, similar to what already happens in the ‘widening participation’ agenda, will help guide regional and national policymakers, the higher education sector and business towards a more strategic approach around breaking down barriers to opportunity.”
Dr Penny Haughan Deputy Vice Chancellor at Liverpool Hope University, said
“Universities must make a positive difference to the lives of their students, their staff and vitally to the communities around them. At Liverpool Hope this can be seen from the research that we undertake, to the outreach that we do and the rounded graduates that we develop who are prepared to work for the common good.
“As educators we can always do more, continue to challenge ourselves and explore new opportunities to create a fairer society. The Purpose Coalition’s report helps us to do this and reminds us of how big a difference university can make.”
Professor Graeme Atheron, Head of the Centre for Inequality and Levelling Up at the University of West London, added:
“Universities have a key role in addressing the social and economic challenges facing those communities and individuals at risk of being left behind and in need of levelling up. It is crucial that universities are able to extend this work and show the impact that it is having. This report shows how this work is being undertaken across the country and how universities increase skills, boost economic growth and support businesses.”
Read the full report here: www.breakingdownbarrierscommission.co.uk/universities
